Kings Park sits at 174 feet above sea level along Long Island's North Shore, where the terrain rolls down toward the bluffs overlooking Long Island Sound and the sweeping coastal meadows of Sunken Meadow State Park. The sandy loam soil that runs through this hamlet drains quickly, which keeps roots from drowning but also means organic matter burns off fast and beds dry out between summer rain events. Homeowners here, and throughout nearby Fort Salonga, find that consistent mulch coverage is less optional and more essential for keeping moisture where plants actually need it. With 47 inches of annual rainfall spread unevenly across the seasons, and a growing window that opens in early April and runs through late October, landscape materials need to work hard in Kings Park from the moment the ground thaws.